Wednesday, December 24, 2008

well, i'm done. i've packed up my last cookie, wrapped my last present, finished my last craft. i'm going to take some time just to be.

thank you all so much for your support this year, it has been a wonderful one. i feel very lucky to know you all and i'll be back in the swing of things in 2009. my shop is closed now, but i'll re-open early january with new work and some sale work too.

Monday, December 22, 2008

our tree is looking a little funny this year, partly because it's not quite vertical, and partly because the bean decided to group ornaments together in no particular method that makes sense to me, but seems to work for her. the tree is a work in progress this year, as we are rearranging ornaments on a daily basis.

i have to share my very proud mommy moment, too. the other night we sat down to write our letter to santa, and the bean asked for two things for herself, and five things for her pets, family, and friends. i have never been so proud. of course, now i am fulfilling santa orders for pets and others as well, but it's totally worth it. that's the spirit of christmas, y'know?

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

i've been really, really behind on my blog lately (too many shows) but i wanted to share the artivle from baltimore magazine that i am so excited about. the issue features other BEST members and local crafters as well, so check it out!

Monday, November 24, 2008

alright, it has gotten bitter cold around here. i'm not used to having snow/frost on leaves as we're raking them up. rick and i thought it would be fun to have the bean out there with us, and it was, although if we were looking to speed up the process we were definitely mistaken. because what's more fun then jumping in the big pile of leaves you just raked and throwing them up in the air?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

my dear friend, and one of the most talented artists i know, just opened her etsy shop! it's called chidra stitch, and she's going to be featuring really beautiful hand-embroidered leather cuffs. i love the one she gave me, and i wear it all the time. so stop by and show her some love!

Friday, November 14, 2008

so tomorrow is holiday heap... i can't wait, because it's a really fun show, and a chance to say hello to my baltimore friends who have lost out to the ginormous pile of felt that has been demanding my attention lately. i have been cutting like crazy, and i'm seriously considering trading in my hands for scissors (think edward scissorhands.)

there's an awesome list of vendors, and i'm hoping to get a little shopping done too. so if you stop by my booth to say hello, be prepared to work - i may dash off to shop! but don't let that stop you, come by and say hello. see you there!

Holiday Heap 2008 is a juried indie craft fair featuring over 50 renegade crafters from the area and beyond. A free event, open to everyone, and perfect for purchasing out-of-the-ordinary gifts for the upcoming holiday season. Held in the heart of Baltimore in the beautiful neighborhood of Charles Village, the fair will take place November 15th from 10-5pm at the 2640 Space at St. John’s Church (located at 2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218). It is the Charm City Craft Mafia’s FOURTH fair of this type, and the second annual Holiday show. Look for Handmade jewelry, clothing, toys, ceramics, paper goods, knitwear, bags, accessories, soft sculpture, books and more! Music provided by Sleepy Records, Snacks provided by Red Emma’s Bookstore, Super fun post-shopping interviews with new local craft group HELLO CRAFT, and a chance to win the mother of all raffle baskets full of — you guessed it — goodies from all of your favorite Craft Mafia members, to benefit a local arts charity.

handmade arcade is 4 days away. i'm busily packing / sewing / cutting / freaking / trying to remember to breathe. there will be so many great vendors there, i'll need to do some shopping, too! if you're in the pittsburg area, come by and stay hi!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

because i am even more like an adolescent girl than you will ever know, i've spent the last 2 weeks devouring not one, but four large volumes of teen goth romance novel. everyone was reading it at the beach this summer, and something just called to me to pick up the book last week. (i mean, it ishalloween season.) two weeks later, lacking sleep and avoiding the ever- growing need for inventory for handmade arcade (two weeks away!), i finished it. all of them. and because i am more of a geek than you will ever know, now i am obsessing about the movie. where were the teen vampire love movies when i was a teen?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

i love this time of year. it seems like there is color everywhere, the days are cooler, and we get to go to the pumpkin farm. it's always a struggle for me not to end up with a car full of pumpkins.

the last few years we have gone to Baugher's Farm. i like it there because they really have enough to do to keep us busy for half a day, at least. we get to take a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, pick our pumpkin (from the vine), and cart it back. this year, the added bonus was a giant hay mountain for the kids to play on.

there is also a small petting zoo, with animals walking around, a great market (mmm, apple dumplings), playgrounds, moon bounce, make-your-own scarecrow, and lots of other little activities. the bean did not want to leave.

in the end, there was so many distractions we somehow only came home with one, very slanted pumpkin (and lots of food from the market.) so we'll have to head down to the farmer's market on sunday and get the rest.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Sunday, October 5, 2008

i haven't had a lot of time to post, had a big order for the Baltimore Museum of Art (woohoo.) but i delivered it today, and here's just some of the work i sent... i'm cutting and sewing as fast as i can, i'll have a shop update on friday!

That's a lot of cool stuff you can win, worth $200! That should definitely get you started on your holiday shopping! All you have to do is join the BEST mailing list (if you have not done some already) AND visit a participating artists shop and leave a comment on the original post here about your favorite item(s). Winner will be chosen at random on Thanksgiving Day - just in time for Cyber Monday! Good Luck!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Monday, September 22, 2008

i can't believe it's fall. it's my favorite time of year, but i just don't know where the summer went... we spent the weekend at the beach, and it was definitely not summer there. we spent the cooler day on the boardwalk, eating french fries and going to the kite loft. they were having a kite festival of some sort and the kites were amazing.

the bean spent most of saturday looking longingly at the beach, and so the next day, which was a bit warmer, was spent playing in the sand and splashing in very cold water. but she was happy. and her dad got some quick surfing in, but wow, the ocean was rough. summer's over.

Friday, September 19, 2008

the bean is very bright. i say this, because, while i try to not to push her to learn anything too quickly, she just does. i have never sat down with her and attempted to get her to write her name - i mean, she's only just turned 3!

then yesterday, in a weird, sort of poltergeist moment, she goes up to the chalkboard and just starts writing. i said, "what are you writing?" and she said, "my name." just like that, matter of fact. and she was. it was a bit backwards, but it was her name.

she is going to be smarter than me any day now, if she's not already. sigh.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

one of the bean's favorite movies is peter pan. not because she loves tinkerbell, but because she loves captain hook. when we took her to disney world this past spring, we actually had to go see captain hook twice - because the first time she was not dressed as a pirate, and she had to "show captain hook that she was a pirate too."

anyway, i had big plans for this cake, but as usual, time and my skills with icing were limited. my mom did a lot of the icing for me, especially on the boat, since i can't operate an icing tip to save my life. the bean loved it, but was really happy to get her toys back once we had eaten it!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

i'll be at hampdenfest this saturday with members of BEST... we'll be selling our work and collecting any unused craft (or office) supplies or gift card to our booth, and receive a coupon for 10% off any one purchase from a BEST member at the show!

all supplies will be donated to Art with a Heart, a baltimore charity which provides interactive, hands-on art activities to disadvantaged families and children, and to people with developmental and physical challenges. they lost many of their supplies to a fire this summer, and we would love to help get them fully stocked again! come by and see us!

to see the complete list of needed supplies, visit the best blog. see you there!

Monday, September 8, 2008

we had such a great time at the bean's birthday party yesterday... it was at clark's elioak farm, which, aside from being a working farm, has recovered many of the rides and buildings from the old enchanted forest. i grew up going to enchanted forest, and loved it in all of it's kitschy wonderful-ness, so i probably had even more fun than the kids!

i can't really pick a few favorite images from emiko oye. and i am definitely on board with her mission.

Inspired by hardware, haute couture, and salvaged materials, emiko oye creates one-of-a-kind urban jewelry and sculptures from recycled materials and precious metals. Her works strive to subtly transform the identity of everyday mundane objects to inspire new dialogs about our relationship with the environment. emiko-o was launched to raise public awareness that jewelry IS Art.

since my personal preference is for art over jewelry, and non-traditional materials over traditional (plain gold and diamonds - yuck!), you can see why i really love emiko's work. from her serious pieces that make statements about the world we live in, to the lego jewelry that makes me feel like a child again, i love what she's done, and i can't wait to see where she's going.

check out rewarestyle on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

Find Me!

Visit my website here or my other website here. All work and images on this site belong to me or to another artist I am promoting - please respect the work and do not copy it without express written permission from the artist involved.